Lingayen – Before deployment, the new set of 75 Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES) beneficiaries from all-over the province were primed by the Pangasinan Employment Services Office (PESO) Wednesday.

The orientation held at the agency’s training hall was led by PESO Manager Alex Ferrer, briefing them on basic professional conduct and dress code observed in the participants’ workplaces.

The students will be spread out to administrative, clerical, housekeeping and maintenance posts in hospitals and other government office in Pangasinan for 20 days starting this April 18.

Per diem for each participants is fixed at the minimum provincial government rate of Php 409 /day, which is higher than the Php 253 basic rate in Region 1, which Ferrer pointed out to be of great help for the students to save up for the coming academic year.

To ensure that the grantees are saving up for school, the office requires them to submit a proof of their enrolment.

Sixty percent of the pay the beneficiaries will get is shouldered by the Capitol while the remaining 40 percent is covered by the Department of Labor and Employment.

To qualify for the program, students and out-of-school youth must come from a family with parents’ annual income falling within the annual regional poverty threshold level that is Php 110,000 for Pangasinan and must have obtained passing mark from the previous school term enrolled in.

Another set of 75 SPES grantees will be enlisted to the program on June this year, bringing the total of beneficiaries for the summer period to 150.